Catch As Cat Can

                "And why aren't you in school, young lady?" Miranda pointed her finger playfully at the high-school girl.

                "Teachers' conference day." Brooks smiled.

                "They didn't have those when I was in school." Miranda

                frowned."I remember George Washington was good at math." She broke into a tinkling giggle.

                "Oh, Miranda." Harry rolled her eyes.

                "Brooks, I'm glad you're here. I was going to come over tonight and ask you some more questions. I wish they'd occur to me all at once but they don't." Coop leaned over the dividing counter as Brooks came up to lean on the other side.

                "Will you stop running around," Harry commanded Mrs. Murphy, who had abandoned the mail sack to play tag with Tucker.

                "Spoilsport." Murphy did sit down, though, as Tucker crashed into her, rolling them both over.

                "Sorry, my brakes don't work." The dog licked Murphy's cheek to make up for the block.

                "Ha, a likely story" Pewter called out from the mail cart.

                "When you brought sugar to the table, who handed you the sugar bowl?" Coop pulled out her small notepad.

                "Chef Ted."

                "Did anyone stop you on the way to the table?"

                "No."

                "And it was a bowl of raw sugar?"

                "Uh-huh." Brooks folded her hands, leaning harder on the divider."I put it next to the silver creamer at the end of the table."

                "The broken sugar bowl was china." Mrs. Murphy jumped up with a start."China. Oh, now why didn't I notice that at the time?"

                "And you weren't called in to clean up the sugar on the floor?"

                "No. Someone cleaned it up. One of the guests, I guess."

                "Thomas Steinmetz. Lottie backed into him." Coop had several eyewitnesses who corroborated that fact."When you put the sugar bowl on the table, did you see who reached for it first?"

                "Uh-Daddy. He was fixing a cup of coffee for Aunt Tally."

                "Then why isn't Aunt Tally dead?" Susan held up her hands in frustration.

                "You know, people have been asking that question for years," Harry devilishly replied.

                "But that wasn't the bowl!" Murphy yowled.

                "Save your energy" Tucker advised.

                "I can't believe I was so stupid." Murphy was distraught.

                "Don't be so hard on yourself, pussycat. Roger O'Bannon was sprawled on the floor with Little Mim yanking on his arm. That would get any cats attention, " Tucker soothingly said.

                "Right under my nose." Murphy bent her head, putting her forehead on Tucker's chest.

                "Hey, it's right under their noses, too. They haven't figured it out and they think their intelligence is superior to every other creature on the face of the earth." Tucker levelly offered that criticism.

                "Ha, " Pewter called out.

                "Do you remember party guests walking into the kitchen?" Coop asked.

                Brooks thought a moment."Mrs. Sanburne, Little Mim, Aunt Tally, Sean-"

                "Sean?"

                "He came in to ask when the coffee would be ready. There might have been a lot of other people because I was carrying dishes out. Action central."

                "I believe that, " Miranda said.

                "Anyone going into the kitchen passes through the large pantry for china and silver. The food pantry is on the other side of the kitchen." Coop was thinking out loud."Brooks, do you remember if all the silver bowls were used?"

                "No, ma'am."

                Coop smiled."Well, there's no reason for you to have noticed. How were any of us to know what would happen? Sometimes I think solving a crime is like putting together a mosaic, it's thousands and thousands of tiny bits of information until finally a picture emerges."

                "What an interesting thought." Miranda passed the cookie dish over the counter.

                Brooks happily ate one. Susan resisted, willpower to the max.

                "You've questioned the chef, of course?" Tracy asked.

                "Yes. I was impressed with his memory for detail, especially about food." She smiled.

                "Mind if I call Aunt Tally?" Harry asked.

                "No, " Coop said.

                Harry dialed.

                Tally picked up, greeting the caller."Queen Bee and it better be good."

                "Hi, Aunt Tally, it's Harry."

                "Do I have a package?"

                "No, I'm here in the post office with Deputy Cooper, Miranda, and Tracy, Susan, and Brooks."

                "A little party."

                "It would be much livelier if you were here."

                "You're right about that." She laughed."Now, what's on your mind, Mary Minor Haristeen?"

                "When you hosted the tea dance, you used your own silver, china, and crystal, right?"

                "Of course."

                "How many silver sugar bowls do you have?"

                "Two. One for white cube sugar and one for raw sugar. I use cubes because what people don't use that day I'll give to the horses."

                "And both were in use at the tea dance?"

                "My, yes, I think I had just about everything out there on that table."

                "Ask her about her china!" Murphy hopped up on the table in the back and kept hopping, up and down.

                "Calm down, " Harry admonished the cat.

                "I am perfectly calm, " Tally answered.

                "I'm sorry, Aunt Tally, I didn't mean you. Mrs. Murphy is pitching a fit and falling in it. Would you mind terribly going into your pantry and counting your sugar bowls, including china bowls if you have any?"

                "No, but it will take me a minute."

                "That's fine."